On a grading scale, you'd have to say that the job New Orleans Pelicans backup guard Brian Roberts did this past season was above average.

And in how that compared with the man he replaced, Jrue Holiday, the mark would almost remain the same.

What Roberts gave the Pelicans this year in starting 42 games at the point was a steady-if-unspectacular presence in leading the team, a player with good court vision, who took care of the ball better than the man he replaced, but isn't on the same level as a defender.

Roberts finished his second NBA season - when he joined New Orleans in 2012-13 he was a three-year veteran of the Euro League in Bamberg, Germany – as a solid player whose skills are better suited as a backup or a change-of-pace player but who can hold his own among the league's best at the position.

Roberts led the NBA in free-throw shooting this season, hitting 124 of 133, 94 percent. His two-year total of 195 of 210 (93 percent) ranks among the leagues all-time leaders with a minimum of 150 attempts.

Averaging 23 minutes a game this season, Roberts turned the ball over just 1.3 times per game, compared to Holiday's 3.1 per game in the 33.6 minutes he averaged over the 34 games he played.

Make no mistake, however, that Roberts faced a steady stream of superstar point guards this season on a nightly basis and it was a chore.